I wrote this post on a ridiculously cold morning.  And as my luck would have it, the entire week following my writing of this post, it was like 70 degrees, and I did my long run in a pair of booty shorts.  Womp.  Eventually, it got cold.  And now I’m back to complaining like nothing ever happened!

I am a ridiculously cold-blooded person.  For a number of reasons.  I don’t think I have a large percentage of body fat, so that can’t help matters.  I don’t have a ton of body hair, aside from the 27-pounds of dreaded hair on my head.  And I also suffer with a mild case of Reynaud’s Phenomenon, which sucks the warmth out of my hands and feet.  I’m told fish oil helps, so I’m burping oil for the cause currently.  So even though I live in a somewhat mild climate (here in Raleigh, NC), it’s taken everything in me to keep running through cold temps in the morning.  So how do we run in the winter?

If you’re battling through the cold, here are a couple of essentials you may not want to forget.

Head over you your local running specialty store and stock up on:

1. Running tights.  They’re going to make your booty look like a Nicki Minaj booty, and they’ll keep you warm!

2. Wool socks.  Not lame granny ones.  Expensive ones that will make you feel guilty for dropping  $14 on socks.  But they’re gonna do the job.

3. A long-sleeved shirt with thumb holes.  If you get too hot, push the sleeves up.  Layering is key here!

4. Something to cover your ears.

5.  And last, but not least…GLOVES!  My favorites are these Brooks gloves with a wind-shield on them.  They’ll keep you warm for as long as you need, and then they’ll tuck away nicely when your hands get too warm about 15 minutes in.

Get yourself down to a local running specialty store, (like a Fleet Feet) and get your winter gear so you have zero excuse to slack this winter.  (Also, as a total side note, PLEASE invest in some reflective gear so drivers can see you…half of these fools are texting and driving at the same time so wear something super bright for the extra darkness we get this time of year).